He showed his stripes in early February when he issued a curt knuckle-slapping to then New York Observer media reporter John Koblin.

Koblin, you might recall, was one of the first reporters—along with then New York Daily News reporter/blogger Elizabeth Benjamin—to go public with rumors buzzing about the capital that the New York Times was working on a “bombshell” story involving the governor. Koblin tweeted the rumor on February 5, asking his followers if they had heard anything similar.

The same day, Kauffmann sent Koblin this inbox-singeing response.

If anything was further discussed, it isn’t in these e-mails. Must have played out on that tried-and-true and not-so-innovative-anymore social media tool, the telephone.

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